Door-control mechanism



March 16 1926.

C. H. ATKINSON DOOR CONTROL MECHANISM Filed July 6 BY Qw.%mm

Patented Mar. 16, 1926.

, 1,576,704 Parser brrrcs.

CHARLES H. ariirnsonor SARATOGA, camronnm.

DOOR-.GGNTRQL MECHANISM.

Application filed July 6,

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES H. A'rKIN- SON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Saratoga, county of Santa Clara, State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Door-Control Mechanism; and I do declare the following to'be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this application.

This invention relates to devices for opening and closing doors and is particularly intended for installation in connection with double garage doors of the swing type such as are commonly used, though it may be used equally as well with single swing doors.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a mechanism for the purpose so arranged that the doors may be opened and closed by a single simple operation from either side of the doors and at any distance therefrom. In this manner the member by means of which the doors are opened from the outside may be placed a suiiicient distance ahead of the doors so that said operating member may be reached and operated by the driver of a car without his having to leave his seat. This arrangement is obviall times, and is especially convenient in stormy weather when the driver with the present form of doors must run the risk of getting soaked when leaving his car to open the doors.

A. further object of the invention is to produce asimple and inexpensive device and yet one which will be exceedingly effective for the purpose for which it is designed.

These objects I accomplish by means of such structure and relative arrangement of parts as will fully appear by a perusal of the following specification and claims.

In the drawings similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several views:

Fig. 1 is a top plan view of the control mechanism as applied to a pair of doors, the latter being shown closed.

Fig. 2.is a similar view with the doors partly open.

Fig. 3 is an elevation of the structure taken from inside the doors.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary View showing the 1925. Serial No. 41,518.

arrangement of the pulleys and control members.

Referring now more particularly to the applied to these of the adjacent door is a horizontal pulley 5, while fixed on the opposite wall in corre-' sponding relation to the adjacent door and horizontally alined with the pulley 5 is a pair of vertically disposed pulleys 6. These pulleys are parallel to the doors when the latter are closed and are spaced apart a distance equal to the diameter of the pulley 5. FlXGtl on the garage wall below the pulleys t3 is another pulley 7' disposed vertically but in a plane at right angles to the pulleys 6.

An endless structure passes around the pulleys 5, 6 and 7, consisting for; the most part of a cable 8 with rigid bars'9 interposed therein between the pulleys 5 and 6. These bars are guided in bearing lugs 10 secured to the top of the door frame and are located centrally of the doors. From these bars intermediate their ends rigid links 9 extend at diverging angles relative to each other to the inner endsof the brackets 4;, which are disposed inwardly of said bars when the doors are closed.

Attached to that vertical run of the cable 8 between the pulleys (Sand 7 which is nearest the door is a pull cable 11 which extends upwardly to a pulley 12 and then horizon tally and outwardly of the garage a suitable distance to and over another pulley 13, a pull handle 14: being on the end of the cable 11 beyond said pulleylS. Attached to the same run of the cable 8 and dependingtherefrom is a short length ofcable 15 having a suitable weight 16 (such as a c0m'-' mon window weight) on its lower end. A pull handle 17 is applied to the other vertical run of the cable 8.

The pulley 13 is preferably mounted on a vertical post 18 some distance from, the garage at such a height and so located as to enable the driver of a car approaching the garage to grasp and pull the handle 14 from his seat. One or more turnbuckles 8 are preferably applied to the cable 8 to keep the same at a proper tension.

In operation the weight 16 normally exerts a downward pressure on the cable run nearest the door and a consequent pull on the corresponding bar 9. The cable and bar structure being endless the other bar of course tends to move in the opposite direction. A pushing efiect is thus imparted to the links 9 which being connected to the brackets 4 hold the doors closed. The doors are of course prevented from further inward movement beyond a closed position by the usual stop means illustrated at 19.

When it is desired to open the doors from the outside the cable 11 is pulled, which overcomes the resistance of the weight and causes a reversal of movement of the bars 9. The links 9 therefore pull on the brackets imparting an opening movement to the doors. The pull on the control cable 11 is maintained until the pivotal connections of the links 9 with the brackets 4 are beyond dead center with respect to the door hinges and the pivotal connections of the links with the bars, as shown in Fig. 2. The pull on the cable 11 must then be released, and but very little practice on the part of the operator will be necessary for him to judge when he must thus cease pulling on the cable. The weight 16 then takes hold and imparts a pushing effect to the links 9, resulting in the doors being thrown wide open, as will be evident.

When closing the doors from the outside the cable 11 is again first pulled and then released as before, since a pulling action on the links followed by a pushing action is again necessary to effect the desired result.

The same results are of course obtained by manipulating the inner pull handle 17, since this imparts a movement to the cable 8 identical with that imparted thereto by operation of the cable 11 as will be clear from an inspection of Fig. d.

It will be evident that if desired this control structure may be applied to a single door without affecting the operation of the device in any way.

From the foregoing description it will be readily seen that I have produced such a device as substantially fulfills the objects of the invention as set forth herein.

WVhile this specification sets forth in detail the present and preferred construction of the device, still in practice such deviations from such detail may be resorted to as do not form a departure from the spirit of the invention, as defined by the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new" and useful and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A door control mechanism for a hinged door comprising a bracket mounted on and projecting inwardly of the door, a horizontal and transversely movable element mounted inwardly of the door, and disposed in a plane between the door and the inner end of the bracket, a pivoted link extending from the inner end of the bracket to the element in the direction away from the hinged edge of the door, whereby when said link is pulled by movement of the element in one direction the door will be opened, until the pivot of the link with the bracket is past the dead center line of the door hinge and pivot of the link with the element when a push on said link will then further open the door, an endless cable in which said element is interposed, a manually operated control means applied to one run of the cable, and a weight applied to said run.

2. A door control mechanism for a hinged door comprising a bracket mounted on and projecting upwardly of the door, a horizontal and transversely movable bar mounted inwardly of the door adjacent the upper end thereof and disposed when the door is closed in a plane between the door and the inner end of the bracket, :1 pivoted link extending from the inner end of the bracket to the bar in the direction away from the hinged edge of the door, an endless cable in which said bar is interposed, pulleys for said cable disposed in planes beyond. the side edges of the door, a pull cord applied to onerun of the cable to one side of the door and extending horizontally therefrom, and a weight also connected to said run adjacent the cord therewith.

3. A door control mechanism for a hinged door comprising a bracket mounted on and projecting inwardly of the door, a horizontal and transversely movable bar mounted inwardly of the door adjacent the upper end hereof and disposed when the door is closed in a plane between the door and the inner end of the bracket a pivoted link extending from the inner end of the bracket to the bar in the direction away from the hinged edge of the door, an endless cable in which said bar is interposed, the horizontal runs of the cable being in a common horizontal plane, pulleys about which said cable passes disposed to provide vertical runs in said cable beyond the hinged edge of the door, a main ually operated pull-cord applied to one vertical run and a weight, applied to the same run.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

CHARLES H. ATKINSON. 

